Cross Her Heart

LoveReading View on Cross Her Heart

The explosive new thriller from Sarah Pinborough, author of the NUMBER ONE Sunday Times bestseller Behind Her Eyes.

Lisa has a sixteen-year old daughter Ava. They are close. She has one good friend, a work colleague, Marilyn. These three are our narrators with a few media and legal commentaries interwoven between them. It is a tale that shifts back and forth in time. Lisa has a dreadful secret that emerges when Ava saves a toddler’s life and the press move in. Ava then turns against her mother and we, the reader, get some of Lisa’s horrific childhood along with a whole lot of red herrings. The novel is full of nasty things happening to defenceless people. With false leads and trails with many twists and turns to keep you guessing, it has a pretty dramatic plot – very disturbing. ~ Sarah Broadhurst

Cross Her Heart Synopsis

SOMEONE IS LIVING A LIE... BUT WHO? Is it Lisa? Haunted by a tragic past, all Lisa wants is a quiet life with her daughter, Ava. And when she meets a new man, things seem to be falling into place. But Lisa is hiding a secret so momentous it could shatter her entire world... Is it Ava? When sixteen-year-old Ava saves a young boy's life, she becomes a local hero. But never in a million years could she have anticipated the fallout of her actions... Is it Marilyn? Marilyn has the perfect life. Her husband, her job, her house-she seems to have it all. But she could never admit to her best friend Lisa the lies she tells herself to get through the day... One moment will change these three women's lives forever. And the secrets they've been keeping could destroy them all.

Cross Her Heart Reader Reviews

In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion some of our Reader Review Panel were also lucky enough to read and review this title. You can click here to read the full reviews.

I was engrossed all the way through this book, and I am so glad I got the chance to read it. I have not read a book like this before, I honestly can't explain how much I enjoyed this! I loved this book and would recommend it! Full review

Britteny Sutcliffe

More twists and turns than the San Bernardino pass! A thriller that won't disappoint. Full review

Nicola Kingswell

A gripping thriller that leaves you thinking about this story long after you finish it. Full review

Alison Greenacre

A lot of contemporary issues with a twisting and unpredictable plot which is very readable. I think it will attract a much wider readership than the traditional crime fiction lover. Full review

Maxine Broadbent

This is a psychological thriller in which secrets from the past come back to destroy the present, with devastating results. Full review

Doreen McKeown

Intriguing but not sure it is going to wow those in search of a different kind of thriller from the book and e-book shelves. But it’s still worth reading. Full review

Phylippa Smithson

An un-put-downable book! Who is telling the truth? Who is lying? This story will definitely pull at your heart-strings! Full review

E.A Rhodes

I really enjoyed this story despite a slightly subdued beginning. By the end I was riveted and could not put the book down. Full review

WOW!!! I Have never read any books by Sarah Pinborough before but this is the first time and I absolutely loved it. Full review

Manisha

A gripping thriller with excellent female characters, I found this book extremely hard to put down and enjoyed every page. Full review

Jennifer Stoddart

Who is living a lie? I wanted to know so badly, I couldn’t put this book down! Full review

Bethany Dimmock

Great book which will have you gripped right until the last page. Full review

Carol Peace

Sarah Pinborough is the queen of #WTFthatending - there’s no second-guessing her! Her intelligent, emotive thriller kept me awake into the small hours. Full review

Catherine Jenkins

Cross Her Heart Press Reviews

'Cross Her Heart is dark, unflinching and disturbing and there was parts of it I wanted to read from between my fingers... Heart-breaking in places, twisty as hell. I'd like to claim that I guessed the ending but Sarah stayed one step ahead of me all the way through. Pacy, unnerving, addictive read with a dark, dark heart' -C. L. Taylor, bestselling author of The Accident

'Sarah Pinborough does it again with this disturbing descent into a heart of darkness. Highly recommended' - Cass Hunter, author of The After Wife

'The ending's a shocker that makes you want to read the novel all over again' - Woman and Home'When you close the book, with paper cuts from turning pages so fast, you'll want everyone you know to read it too so you can talk about it' - Simon Toyne

About Sarah Pinborough

Sarah Pinborough is a successful, critically acclaimed novelist and screenw riter. She has written a YA trilogy, The Now here Chronicles, under the pen name Sarah Silverwood; she has written for the BBC series NEW TRICKS; her The Dog-Faced Gods trilogy has been optioned for a television series and she has a horror film, CRACKED, currently in development. She has also turned her pen to short stories and novellas, winning the BRITISH FANTASY AW ARD for Best Short Story in 2009 and the BRITISH FANTASY AWARD for Best Novella in 2010 (for The Language of the Dying). She lives in London, and ...